Siheyuan: Hang Jia Dongxu, smash Banggeng to death!

"I'll go in and take a look." Qin Huairu handed Xiaodang to Shazhu. "Zhuzi, you hold Xiaodang. Auntie, you come in with me."

"Okay...okay..." Wang Cuilan nodded repeatedly.

The two covered their noses and went into the public restroom.

The room was dimly lit and smelled pungent.

"Grandma? Grandma?" Wang Cuilan called out twice.

no respond.

"Where are you, old lady?" Qin Huairu called out.

Still no sound.

Their hearts sank, and they quickly walked inside.

When they reached the innermost pit, the two of them froze.

In the pit...

There was a person lying down.

Face down, his entire head was buried in filth.

Her gray hair was disheveled, and she wore a familiar blue cotton shirt...

She was a deaf old lady.

"ah--!!!"

Wang Cuilan screamed, stumbled back two steps, and crashed into the wall.

Qin Huairu was also terrified, staring blankly at the corpse in the pit, her lips trembling as she couldn't utter a word.

"What's wrong? What's wrong?" Sha Zhu heard the scream and rushed in carrying Xiao Dang.

He was stunned when he saw what was inside the pit.

"The...the old lady..." Sha Zhu's voice trembled, "She...she..."

"Quick! Pull her out!" Qin Huairu reacted, her voice sharp.

Sha Zhu gritted his teeth, shoved Xiao Dang into Qin Huairu's hands, and reached out to pull the deaf old lady.

The filth splashed all over him, but he didn't care.

They finally managed to pull the deaf old lady out and put her on the ground.

The person is already dead.

His face was covered in filth, making his expression impossible to see.

But those eyes remained open, pupils dilated, filled with terror and bewilderment.

"Dead...dead..." Wang Cuilan collapsed to the ground, trembling all over. "Another one dead...another one dead..."

Qin Huairu held Xiao Dang in her arms, tears streaming down her face.

It's not sadness.

It is fear.

A deep, bone-chilling fear.

This is the sixth one.

The deaf old lady also died.

Next...

Who is it?

There are two more today.

Qin Huairu held Xiao Dang in her arms, staring at the deaf old woman's corpse on the ground, her whole body trembling.

Suddenly remembering something, she looked up sharply and shouted at Sha Zhu, who was about to rush out, "Zhu Zi, go and call Director Li and the others. They're in the courtyard."

Sha Zhu was also stunned, but seeing Qin Huairu's terrified eyes, he nodded and said, "Okay, Sister Qin, I'll go right away."

He turned and rushed out of the restroom, shouting at the top of his lungs, "Someone's dead! Someone's dead! Chief Li! Captain Qin! Come quick! The old lady's dead! Come quick!"

……

In the courtyard house.

Qin Ming and Director Li were conducting a thorough investigation inside Liu's house.

Liu Guangfu's disappearance and subsequent death, coupled with the lack of any clues at the scene, left both of them deeply perplexed.

"Captain Qin," Chief Li pointed to the kang (heated brick bed) where Liu Guangfu had slept, "I really can't understand how he disappeared when two officers were guarding him? And how did he end up hanging himself outside the yard?"

Qin Ming squatted on the ground, shining a flashlight on it, his brow furrowed: "There are no signs of forced entry on the doors and windows, unless..."

He didn't go on.

Unless there really is something unseen.

But the idea was too absurd for him to consider.

Just then, a heart-wrenching cry came from outside the courtyard:

"Someone's dead! Someone's dead! Chief Li! Captain Qin! Come quick! The old lady's dead! Come quick!"

Qin Ming's expression changed drastically, and he abruptly stood up: "Something's wrong! Something's happened!"

Director Li also heard the fear in Sha Zhu's voice. The two exchanged a glance and rushed out of the house at the same time.

The others in the courtyard were also alerted.

Everyone rushed out of the courtyard.

As soon as he rushed out of the yard, he saw Sha Zhu running towards him, out of breath and with a face as pale as paper.

"Director Li... Captain Qin..."

Sha Zhu gasped for breath, his voice trembling, "The deaf old lady is dead! She fell into the toilet and died! Her head is stuck straight down in the toilet..."

"What?!" Director Li exclaimed in shock.

Qin Ming was also stunned: "Died in the toilet?"

"Mmm." Sha Zhu pointed towards the alley entrance, "Sister Qin and that old lady are still there..."

"Lead the way!" Qin Ming shouted sternly.

The group followed Sha Zhu and hurried to the public toilet.

On the way, Qin Ming's mind raced.

Deaf old lady...

Another one has died.

And the manner of death... drowning in a toilet?

This is very strange.

How could an elderly woman in her sixties or seventies fall into the toilet and drown?

Even if you slip and fall, you shouldn't fall headfirst into the hole without making a sound for help, right?

unless...

A sense of foreboding welled up in Qin Ming's heart.

Outside the public toilet.

Qin Huairu and Wang Cuilan were still standing there, their faces pale and their eyes unfocused.

Xiao Dang was held tightly in her mother's arms, too frightened to cry, only sobbing softly. But being so young, she didn't know what death meant.

Seeing Qin Ming and the others arrive, Qin Huairu felt like she had found a lifeline, and tears streamed down her face: "Captain Qin, the old lady, the old lady..."

She couldn't continue, she just pointed into the toilet.

Qin Ming didn't ask any questions and went straight into the public restroom.

Chief Li and other police officers followed them inside.

When they saw the filthy corpse at the edge of the pit, everyone gasped.

Forensic pathologist Xiao Zhang squatted down, examined the body carefully, and then looked up at Qin Ming and said, "Captain Qin, the preliminary diagnosis is death by suffocation from urination or defecation. The time of death was probably within half an hour. There are head injuries, likely from a fall."

He paused, then added, "But... there's a problem."

"What's the problem?" Qin Ming asked.

"If you fall down on your own..." Xiao Zhang pointed to the edge of the pit, "Generally speaking, people will instinctively use their hands to brace themselves or grab the wall next to them."

But the old woman's hands had dirt under her fingernails, and there were scratches on the edge of the pit, indicating that she had struggled to climb out after falling.

He paused, his voice tightening slightly: "But a normal person, if they just slip and fall, even if they fall headfirst, as long as they are conscious, should be able to climb out after a few struggles."

"unless..."

Director Li continued, his voice trembling, "Unless she fell too hard and fainted on the spot, or..."

He didn't go on.

But everyone understood what he meant.

Unless someone holds her head down and prevents her from getting up.

Qin Ming's face turned ashen.

He walked to the edge of the pit and examined it carefully.

There was indeed a slippery puddle on the ground, like oil or soapy water that someone had deliberately poured on it...

And the location where the deaf elderly woman fell...

Qin Ming crouched down and shone his flashlight on the ground.

footprint.

Although covered in filth, the outlines of several footprints could still be vaguely discerned; they were not the small feet of the deaf old woman, but rather... the shoe prints of an adult.

However, this is a public restroom, with people coming and going, so this clue doesn't seem to be of much use.

Qin Ming's heart sank.

"Seal off the scene!"

He stood up and ordered sternly, "Everyone, get out of the restrooms! Xiao Zhang, conduct a thorough inspection; don't overlook any details!"

"Yes!" Xiao Zhang replied.

Qin Ming walked out of the restroom and looked at Qin Huairu and Wang Cuilan outside: "Were you two here the whole time?"

Qin Huai nodded, her voice trembling, "Yes...we waited outside for the old lady for more than ten minutes, but she still hadn't come out, so we went in to check...and then..."

"When you went in," Qin Ming stared into her eyes, "did you see... anyone else?"

"No..." Qin Huai shook her head, "There was only the old lady in the restroom..."

Wang Cuilan nodded repeatedly, "Captain Qin, we really didn't see anything..."

Qin Ming did not ask any further questions.

But he knew in his heart that this was by no means an accident.

It was murder.

The sixth murder.

Moreover, the murderer is likely still nearby.

He turned to Chief Li and said, "Chief Li, notify everyone to increase vigilance. The murderer... is probably in this area."

Director Li nodded solemnly.

Sha Zhu walked over at this moment, his face grim: "Captain Qin, was the old lady... really an accident?"

……